Hi people. Not been on here for a while but here I am asking for advice. Does anyone have an idea of the cost of replacing an oringinal wooden beam about 3metres long(eucalyptus or olive?)We are trying to keep the house as traditional as possible. New wood would be an option though.Thanks in advance

Hi country boy and thanks for the reply. The rough cost of the job ie material and labour . Each beam is 3.3m x 18cm dia.(olive or eucalyptus) with cane in between. Probably 2 need replacing. This a house we may be buying but want to keep it as trsditional as possible.Thanks again

No idea Country boy. I see beams. In between it looks like cane(reeds?) The cane fits exactly between the beams. It looks like thick string binding the cane together. And ghe whole lot is covered in several decades of paint. Apart from that, i'm afraid I can't be any more specific.

How big is the room? Do you know when it was built. Are there Roman Tiles on top? Is the structure itself ( Walls)constructed of Rocks and Clay with a rendered finish. How thick are the walls? Which way do the beams run, accross or down?Sorry to ask so many apparently unconnected questions but they all have relevance to any answers I can give..

My Finca is 170 years old in parts. We have restored it over 17 years.

I am assuming that the beams are holding something up roof/floor.I think unlikely that possible to replace one or two beams, most structuresof this nature old and new the celing//roof is a unit in it itself and therelikely be a domino effect when interfered with.

Like Country Boy we are serving a life sentence "doing up" a country home.

My first question is why do they need replacing? Even if you have had some form of woodworm beetle infestation and their strength has been compromised they are probably still plenty strong enough on a 3 metre span. Second question is what is above them? Construction technique varies from one locality to another but all boils down to what was available and cheapness. Our downstairs beams have cane matting on top held in place with woven grass string. Then a simple "mud scree" is forced into and onto that to form the basis of a floor upstairs and the ceiling downstairs. On that may have been applied plaster and some form of floor surface upstairs. The upstairs floor is often astonishingly thin and not adequate to tile onto. I have seen them anything from an inch thick to 3 inches. One issue will be what is in the walls. You will often find huge logs in the walls themselves tied to the room beams usually with knotted grass string but sometimes with one large spike.

If the upstairs is unfinished ( i.e. not tiled), then I would hazard a ball park figure of 1500 euros for the two.Double that if they see you coming! Of course the final price will depend on what level of finish you need, size of beams and so on. You may find it hard to obtain old matching beams in good condition. Everything new tends to be uniform timber as it makes building so much easier. A starting point for trying to source more traditional beams (Chestnut,Eucalyptus?) could be Capilla Madera on the outskirts of Granada.

Sourcing a suitable builder is a further hurdle for later.

If it is a roof scenario then that is an altogether different proposition.